Those few words drifted clearly into Kushina's ears, causing her already flushed face to instantly turn the color of pig liver.
Combined with those filthy thoughts he had earlier, what else could he mean by "going deeper"!
This bastard, it wasn't enough that he got lucky, he actually dared to think... dared to think about that kind of thing!
Kushina trembled with rage, her chest heaving violently. She wanted nothing more than to use her Adamantine Sealing Chains to sew this man's mouth shut along with his filthy brain!
But... she couldn't.
She clenched her fists tightly, her palms beginning to bleed under the immense pressure of her fingernails, using the pain to force herself to calm down.
Tell him to get lost? And then what?
Let him leave her sight, only for her to remain trapped by this damn rule, watching helplessly as Minato walked toward that predetermined tragedy and her future child was brainwashed by a "bunch of people"?
No! Absolutely not!
Minato's gentle smile flashed through Kushina's mind, followed by the name "Naruto" which made her heart ache, and then that warm power from earlier that could almost cleanse the soul...
Anger wouldn't solve any problems.
Humiliation, disgust, anger... these emotions were strong, but in the face of a bloody future, they were utterly powerless.
Minato's future, the child's fate, the truth about Konoha... the answers to all of this were still locked inside this man's head.
This man was a bastard, a piece of scum in human skin, but... he was also her only straw to grasp, her only key!
She had to endure!
At this thought, Kushina took a deep breath. When she exhaled, the fire in her eyes had been replaced by a cold, relentless determination at any cost.
She had changed her strategy.
Since she couldn't get answers from his mouth, she would make him her property entirely...
Twenty-four hours a day, she wouldn't let him leave her sight even to go to the bathroom! She didn't believe she couldn't dig out what she wanted!
And... that warm power from earlier...
Kushina suppressed the slight longing in her heart that she didn't want to admit, looking coldly at Gu Lingxiao who was still kneeling on one knee, and said emotionlessly:
"I'll let today's matter slide. Get up."
"Thank you, Lady Kushina."
"However," Kushina's tone shifted, her voice cold as ice, "starting tomorrow, you are not allowed to leave a ten-meter radius of me without my permission. Eating, training, shopping... wherever I go, you must follow. That is an order!"
Just then, the bathroom door opened.
Minato Namikaze walked out while drying his wet hair. Seeing the scene in the room, he couldn't help but be stunned: "Kushina? Lingxiao? This is..."
He keenly sensed the tense atmosphere between his wife and this Anbu.
Kushina ignored his question. She turned her head, looking at her "sun" who was still ignorant of everything, and after a thought, announced a decision that shocked both men present.
"Minato, from today on, I only need Gu Lingxiao for my Guard Detail."
She paused, adding word by word: "Twenty-four-hour personal protection."
Minato's handsome face was filled with bewilderment. He asked subconsciously, "Kushina, this is too... why so sudden? Your previous guard squad..."
He couldn't finish his sentence because he saw Kushina's eyes.
In those azure eyes, there was no negotiation, no plea, only a determination like that of a drowning person clutching a piece of driftwood. He had never seen Kushina like this.
Meanwhile, in Gu Lingxiao's mind, the alarm was already blaring at the highest level!
[Holy crap?!]
[Twenty-four-hour personal protection?! What kind of divine development is this! Can the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki even do that?]
[What is she after? My good looks? No! I'm wearing a mask! My healing ability? She doesn't know about that!]
[I get it... She must have noticed I'm different and wants to harvest my organs! She wants to take me for research! This woman is too ruthless!]
The questions and worries in Minato's heart were instantly covered by a deeper trust.
He knew his wife; she would never do something without a reason.
Something extremely significant that he didn't know about must have happened.
After a moment of silence, Minato's golden hair shimmering softly under the light, he finally chose to trust his beloved. He nodded and said softly:
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
Kushina must have her reasons for doing this, but I'll have to find out what happened later.
His gentle agreement, however, sounded to Gu Lingxiao like the final push into a pit of fire.
[I don't want to hear this!]
Just thinking about being watched by those old schemers in the future made him feel a bit suffocated.
The faint light of dawn filtered through the window frame, coating the room in a soft layer of gold.
Minato Namikaze was fully dressed. The brand-new Hokage cloak looked exceptionally heroic on him, and the words "Fourth Hokage" on the back announced the arrival of a new era.
He was preparing to head out.
At the entrance, he turned back, his gaze crossing the living room to land on the silver-haired figure standing as still as a statue by the master bedroom door.
Gu Lingxiao.
Minato's gaze became complex.
It contained the scrutiny of a Hokage toward a subordinate and an inquiry into his strength, but more than that, it held the complicated emotions of a husband entrusting his beloved wife to another man.
He ultimately said nothing, simply giving Gu Lingxiao a slight nod before pushing the door open and leaving.
[Staging a scene of marital affection first thing in the morning, making me feel like a third wheel.]
[But Minato really has a big heart, leaving a grown man like me to keep watch at his door so casually? Isn't he afraid I'll eavesdrop?]
[Heh, then again, even if he pressed his ear to the door, he wouldn't be able to hear what I'm thinking.]
Gu Lingxiao complained silently in his heart, completely lacking the self-awareness an outsider should have.
Almost the instant his inner thoughts concluded, the bedroom door was suddenly pulled open with a "shua" sound.
Uzumaki Kushina, who had already changed into a capable red training outfit, had a face as cold as frost.
The tight-fitting training clothes outlined her breathtaking curves perfectly, and her fiery red hair was tied high in a ponytail, making her look valiant and heroic, yet carrying a pressure that warned others not to approach.
Her azure eyes swept over Gu Lingxiao, as if wanting to freeze him body and soul.
Without a word, she walked straight past him, heading toward the outskirts of the village.
Gu Lingxiao immediately followed.
The two of them, one in front and one behind, silently walked through the quiet morning streets of Konoha, soon arriving at the open Training Ground 3 outside the village.
This was the starting point for Team 7 and the beginning of countless legends.
Kushina stopped, turned around abruptly, and locked her burning eyes onto Gu Lingxiao's face.
"We'll start with taijutsu sparring."
Her voice was cool and devoid of emotion.
"Since you're my personal guard, your strength must be up to par. Let me see if you have what it takes!"
[Man, she even skipped the opening remarks and skipped straight to the action.]
[On the surface, it's a test of strength, but in reality, she just wants a legitimate excuse for some close-quarters combat with me, right?]
[I just gave her a little taste yesterday, and today she's being so proactive. This woman is something else.]
Gu Lingxiao's thoughts raced, but on the surface, he remained impassive, bowing as he replied: "Yes, Lady Kushina."
As soon as he finished speaking, he assumed a standard combat stance.
The next second, Kushina moved!
She pushed off with her feet, the ground instantly cracking. She shot forward like a red cannonball, wrapped in a fierce wind, and reached Gu Lingxiao in an instant!
A powerful whip kick, carrying a whistle that tore through the air, headed straight for Gu Lingxiao's neck!
The offensive was rapid, ruthless, and merciless!
Gu Lingxiao's eyes narrowed. He leaned back slightly, his right hand forming a blade, and blocked the path of the whip kick with precision.
"Bang!"
The collision of limbs produced a dull, heavy sound.
Gu Lingxiao's arm and her warm, explosive calf were pressed tightly together.
At the moment of contact, that vast and warm life energy once again surged into Kushina's body like a flood through a broken dam!
"Ugh..."